Paperthin Hymn
by KitsuShel
Summary: Edward & Bella are a usually happy couple going through a rough patch in their relationship. Will a daring rescue put them back on track or pull them completely apart? A collab from KitsuShel & Laurnorder originally written for Fandoms Fight the Floods.


**AN:** Hello, lovies! This is a collab that was written a few months back for the Fandom Fights the Floods compilation by myself and the amazing Laurnorder. We affectionately call it out "Pilotward."

We've decided to create a joint FFn account and collab once again to extend this one shot, the next chapter being written for the Fandom4Storms fundraiser. Once that time period is over, it will post to FFn under our new name, Texadelphia.

So, if you want to read more Pilotward, you'll have to follow us on that one as well! =)

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><p><strong>Paperthin Hymn <strong>

**..**  
><strong>O_o_O_o_O_o_O_o_O_o_O_o_O_o_O_o_O_o_O<strong>

KitsuShel ~ BPOV

Laurnorder ~ EPOV

**O_o_O_o_O_o_O_o_O_o_O_o_O_o_O**  
>..<p>

_**BPOV **_  
><em><strong>..<strong>_

I yawned and shut down my computer, then headed upstairs for bed. It was well after midnight, so I quietly peeked in on the kids before entering our bedroom. Edward was already out like a light, so I took a minute to gaze upon the man who owned me, heart and soul. We had been married for the past six years, but we'd grown so far apart for the past couple of months and the gap seemed too large to bridge sometimes. Having children, particularly a five and a three year old, took a lot out of your stamina, but this was ridiculous. It had been over a month since I had felt my husband's touch for more than a quick peck on the cheek before he left for work.

And an actual conversation? I can't even count back that far. It's been either an argument over something stupid or complete silence. To avoid it all, I lose myself into a fantasy world of my own once the kids are in bed. He has no idea what I do on the computer for hours, not even an inkling about the story I've been writing. He's been content just to watch tv and then fall asleep. I'd worry that he'd been cheating, but I knew without a doubt that he would never do that.

I think we had just changed so much from the people we had fallen in love with back in high school. Our mothers were best friends and Edward, his twin sister Alice and I were thrown together quite often. We had a normal family friend/sibling relationship until we started high school and boys started taking notice of Alice and I. Once Edward finally realized he was jealous when I dated other boys, he manned up and asked me out during our junior year. We married four years later when I became pregnant and we'd been inseparable ever since. A lot of things have changed over the past decade, but had only become strained recently. I didn't know if it was irreparable or not, but I had a feeling that we'd soon find out.

After changing into my pajamas, I slid under the covers and laid there, watching him sleep for a few minutes. His long lashes hid his beautiful green eyes from me; eyes that our three year old daughter, Amelia, inherited from him. Charlie, our five year old son, got his chocolate brown eyes from me. My father prefers to think that Charlie is named after him, when in reality, both of our children are named after famous aviators, since their father was a rescue pilot himself.

He shifted in his sleep and curled onto his side, facing towards me. I moved closer and turned my body perpendicularly, resting my head on his side, like a pillow. I could feel the indentation of his ribs and the steady motion of his diaphragm as he breathed in and out. I laid my hand on his chest, feeling the rhythmical beat of his heart. My soul ached and I longed to find a way through this mess that we've created.

He sighed my name in his sleep and my heart melted. No matter what happened, I knew deep down that we were forever. Nothing could break us down and this was just a bump in the road. I moved back over to my side of the bed quietly, pulling the covers up to my chin. I resolved right then and there that I would try and air my concerns in the morning.

The smell of coffee hit my nose before my eyes cracked open, letting in the bright morning sun. I stretched and cracked my back slightly before sitting up and making my way into the bathroom for my normal morning routine. The kids weren't due to be awake for another three hours, so I slipped into my robe and slippers, hoping to catch my husband before he left for work. I made my way quietly down the stairs and found him sitting at the kitchen table, cup of coffee and the paper open in front of him. His eyes cut up to mine and then back to his reading dismissively. The previous night's thoughts of love and calm were quickly becoming engulfed by annoyance.

"Good morning, Edward."

"Bella," he practically grunted in acknowledgement.

_Oh, hell no._

Anger shot up my spine and I found myself clenching my fists unconsciously. "Really? I don't even rank a simple hello anymore?"

The venom in my voice caused him to sigh and set down the paper. He looked up at me wearily. "Why? A simple hello would have just elicited the same reaction."

I bristled at the implication that I was the one at fault. "Excuse me? All I did was say 'Good morning,' asshole!"

His jaw tightened, a clear sign that he was becoming irate, but I didn't give a damn at that point.

"Bella," he spoke in the quiet, calm voice that he used with our children, "I said 'Hello' to you yesterday morning and you jumped down my throat about not speaking to you in the proper tone. The same as every other morning for the past 2 months. Why the fuck should I even bother anymore?"

Tears swiftly stung my eyes and my stomach churned with hurt.

"Nice, that's great. Just give up, Edward," I snarled. Somewhere- some place deep inside of me I knew that I was being irrationally angry and nothing good would come of it.

He slammed the paper shut and glared at me. Not once in the lifetime that we had known each other had he looked at me this way. An icy shiver of fear ran through me. He pushed away from the table roughly and stomped out into the hallway. I followed quickly and felt my bottom lip quiver and tears splash against my cheeks as he tore his jacket from the hook and wrestled his boots onto his feet. He threw his coat on and grabbed his keys from the tray on the table by the door.

"Edward, wait! Please don't leave like this," I sobbed. We had promised each other years ago that we'd never part ways with angry words.

He stopped in his tracks and I could see his back expanding and contracting as he took deeps breaths. He did an about-face and pulled me into his arms for a bone-crushing hug.

"You're right," he whispered as he kissed the top of my head. "I have to get on the road, but we will talk later, Bella. Shit can't stay like this anymore, babe."

"I know, I know," I sobbed into his chest.

"Ssh, don't cry. We just need to talk this shit through. I love you, baby. Kiss the kids for me?"

I nodded and wiped my face when he pulled away. He leaned down and placed a soft kiss on my lips, smiling down at me sadly. He laid one last kiss on my forehead.

"I'll be home later, Bella."

When the door closed behind him, I fell to my knees, sobbing. I didn't know what the hell was wrong with me, but I needed to figure it out before it destroyed my family. Once I calmed down, I rushed to the phone and dialed the one person I knew could help me. The phone only rang once before she picked up.

"Alice? I need your help."

**..**  
><strong>O_o_O_o_O_o_O_o_O_o_O_o_O_o_O_o_O_o_O<strong>

_August evenings_

_Bring solemn warnings_

_To remember to kiss the_

_Ones you love goodnight_

**O_o_O_o_O_o_O_o_O_o_O_o_O_o_O**

_**EPOV**_  
>..<p>

When I finally arrived at base, the atmosphere was already loaded with energy— a sign that the day was going to be extremely busy. Despite the charge in the air, I just couldn't shake the way that I left things with Bella. As soon as I left the house this morning, I instantly regretted it. But I knew that if I had stayed and talked it out with her while our emotions were still high, it would have just turned into an unnecessary fight. Instead, I took the smart route and decided to cool off before I made my grievances known. That doesn't mean that this morning didn't still hurt. I hated seeing my wife upset in any shape or form, and to know that I was the one who put those tears in her eyes made my heart ache.

Not ten minutes into my drive, my cell phone rang. My twin sister Alice and I have talked to each other every morning since we went our seperate ways for college.

I knew this conversation with Alice was coming, yet I still didn't want to admit that I needed my sister's advice. There was an alarming truth to the theory of male pride.

"Hey Alligator." I tried not to sound too down, but the sadness that I felt in my heart still came through in my voice. And I'm pretty sure my sister would detect it if I tried to hide it anyways.

"How are you, brother dear?" I sighed and pinched the bridge of my nose. _Where did I want to start?_

"Not that great, actually. Bella and I had a fight this morning, the past few weeks of mornings for that matter, and I just don't know what to do anymore. Nothing I do or say is the right thing, and I feel like my presence alone is enough to piss her off."

As soon as I got the first sentence out, the rest just flowed out like a river. I was almost twenty minutes late for work because it felt so good to be able to get all of this pent up frustration out of my system.

I didn't want to be in this situation with Bella. I wasn't even sure where everything went wrong. It was like one day Bella woke up and decided that she hated the life she had wih me. I have gone over everything in my head. The only thing that stood out to me of was my new schedule. These past two months had been anything but easy. Between pulling longer shifts at work and trying to keep up with Bella and the kids, our love life had taken a regretful place on the back burner. The last time I even made love to my wife was six weeks ago, and that was a hurried tryst in the shower before life outside came calling.

Lately, all I've wanted to do was come home, take a load off, eat dinner, tuck my kids in bed and then have some time alone with Bella, but that wasn't happening. Between her irritability and my intolerance to her mood swings, to say things had been strained would be putting it lightly.

I knew the longer hours I've been working might have made me more tired, but I was trying to surprise Bella with a new house in the country.

She was always daydreaming about a bigger house. We wanted one with land so that Charlie and Amelia could play and grow. And, just the other day, Amelia had expressed her desire for a pony. The only way this was going to happen was for me to work more. More hours meant more money, which meant that I could give Bella and my kids their dream home.

Everything was almost finished with the house and, on our anniversary, I was planning to turn the living room into our own personal restaurant to surprise her.

I prayed that this was what she still wanted; _I_ was what she still wanted. I knew she loved me, but these past few weeks have made me feel like I've done something wrong.

I just wish I knew what it was, and how to fix it.

A hard pat on my back brought me back to reality. I needed to focus if I was going to be of any use to my team today.

"Edward! Thought you'd never make it in, bro! Jake's loading up the chopper and I set up your pack for you already." Jasper and I have worked together for three years and sometimes it was like we shared a brain. Jasper had saved my life more times than I could count on my hands and feet. I was the helicopter pilot of a three man rescue team. In the line of work we were in, you really had to know the people that you worked with backward and forward, inside and out because the lives of the entire team were at stake every day. Jazz and I were as close as brothers and I was constantly poking fun and telling him that he would be perfect for my sister.

"Thanks, Jazz. What's up first today?" I was instantly in work mode and any thoughts about my wife would have to wait until I got home.

"We need to run some drills until something comes in on the scanner. The weather looks like it's going to be crap today, so we've prepared for shit to hit the fan." Not a minute after the words were out of his mouth a loud beeping rang out over the intercom.

.

_Call has been received for an air rescue unit at the intersection of Baker and Main. Twenty-seven year old male and pregnant female are stranded on the roof of their vehicle which has been submerged in high flood water. _

_.__  
><em>_  
><em>We heard the call loud and clear and in a dazed rush, we geared up and headed to the scene of the rescue. I checked my gauges and called back to headquarters for the all clear before taking off. We were about twenty-five miles from our destination which gave us an estimated arrival time of seven minutes. Every second counted when people's lives were in jeopardy.

The storm was already approaching our side of town and the winds were picking up speed at a steady rate. I had to concentrate extra hard to keep the chopper stable in these extreme conditions. I had more than enough flying experience under my belt, but it didn't matter how many times I'd flown in severe weather. Nervousness still flowed through me with every inch I rose from the ground.

The rain was pouring at an alarming rate. Even from up here, I could tell that the rushing current of the flood waters was no match for the homes and vehicles on the unsuspecting ground below. There were people sitting on the roofs of their houses, hoping that the rain would stop before the water rose to meet them. It made me think of my wife and kids and a pang of grief struck me as I saw their faces on the victims. The state of my relationship didn't help to ease the ache within me, and I had to shake my head slightly to clear it and focus on the task at hand.

I spotted the couple that was in trouble rather quickly.

The gentleman and his pregnant wife were hanging on to the roof of their vehicle for dear life. I knew we didn't have much time. The winds and current were only gaining strength and, in a matter of minutes, this car would be history.

I lowered my altitude slowly and called back to base to let them know we had spotted the couple and were now in rescue mode. The winds were my toughest battle at this point. Even with the sound of the chopper, I could still hear the gusts whip past us ferociously.

"Alright Jake, we get the female first. I'm afraid it'll be too heavy to attempt both. We get her to land and then Jazz will get the male, clear?"

Two thumbs up meant that we were ready to lower completely. I needed to get low enough to the car so Jake could easily make contact. It was going to be a delicate situation because she was pretty far along in her pregnancy.

Jasper lowered Jacob slowly and carefully to the stranded couple. The winds were making him appear as if he were a pendulum on string. The man was able to grab the bottom of Jake's shoe to stop his swinging enough to start connecting the female to his harness.

I was waiting for my cue from Jazz when I noticed the car begin to jerk free from whatever it was hung on. We didn't have much more time. We had to act fast, or this man could be killed.

In a split second decision, Jake felt the car move and concluded that it was now or never. He quickly adjusted his weight and grabbed the man on his other side. With both of them hooked up, I received the cue from Jazz to move them to higher ground. I was worried about the weight but I was pretty confident that the chopper could handle it.

"Raising 'em!" Jasper called from his post.

Not even two seconds after they were rescued from the top of the car, whatever was holding it in place finally gave way and the car was history. At that same moment, a particularly strong gust of wind roared through the air. With the weight below the chopper, the wind was able to knock me sideways slightly into some overgrown tree branches. I was already low to the ground and I was afraid that if I lost anymore altitude, Jake and the couple could be hurt. The impact of the blade and the tree caused the chopper to wobble and spin away from the tree. My heart was pounding in my ears, and I knew that I had to keep this helicopter in the air until I could get these people and my crew to safety.

After what felt like forever, but was probably no more than fifteen seconds, I was able to maintain control of the chopper and fly to a nearby park. I let Jake down easily with the woman and her husband. Once they were free from the harnesses, they clung to each other like they were one person. Paramedics were on the scene within minutes to make sure everyone was alright. My heart went out to them and I hoped that they had the best of luck with the new addition to their family. This was one rescue that I would not soon forget.

After Jake was safely back in the chopper, we commended ourselves on a job well done and headed back to base.

"Cullen, Mr. Yorkie wants to see you in his office." Damn! I wasn't back for five minutes yet, and already I was being called in. I hoped this was a good thing.

When I walked in to Eric's office, he was on the phone with the news reporters. He had a smile on his face, so I took that as a sign that I wasn't in trouble. I took a few risks with flying too low, and operating with too much weight below, but it was worth it to save those people's lives.

"Yes, thank you. Goodbye. Edward, please have a seat."

"Is there something I can do for you, Mr. Yorkie?" The man was looking at me with an awestruck expression.

"I have never in my twenty years of working here been so proud to have such a talented pilot on my team. Your efforts today were brave, and daring, but you handled everything with the grace of someone who has been flying for much longer than you have. You are something special, Edward Cullen, and I wanted to personally congratulate you on a job well done."

He reached out his hand for me to shake it and I did while swallowing a rather large lump in my throat.

"Thank you, sir. I'm just glad everyone was alright."

"You and your crew take the rest of the afternoon off, and once again, Cullen, thank you."

"Yes, sir. You're welcome." I stood up and headed to the common room to tell Jake and Jazz the good news about the free time. I still had a few hours before Bella would be expecting me, so I decided that I would take the guys out for lunch to celebrate, and say thanks before we went home.

Today has made me look at my situation with Bella in an entirely new light. I knew I could never be separated from her, not that it was ever an option for me, but just the cold, hard facts. I loved my wife with every fiber of my being, and whatever it is we were going through was going to pass, I could feel it.

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><strong>O_o_O_o_O_o_O_o_O_o_O_o_O_o_O_o_O_o_O<strong>

_You never know what temporal days may bring_

_Laugh, love, live free and sing_

_When life is in discord_

_Praise ye the lord_

****O_o_O_o_O_o_O_o_O_o_O_o_O_o_O****

_**BPOV**_  
>..<p>

By the time my sister-in-law arrived a few hours later, Charlie and Amelia were up and bathed after having breakfast. Allie knocked before entering the front door, causing the kids to run to her, squealing. After playing with them for a few minutes, she plopped down next to me on the couch. She took one look at my haggard appearance and sighed.

"Bella, what am I going to do with you?"

I shrugged and shook my head. I felt run down and exhausted. "I don't know, Allie. I feel like crap all the time. I'm making a doctor's appointment as soon as possible."

She eyed me speculatively for a moment. "How far along are you?"

I blinked at her stupidly. "What are you talking about?"

"You're pregnant again, right?"

My mind started racing, counting days and checking symptoms. "Holy crap," I murmured in awe. "I'm pregnant."

Alice's eyes widened. "You mean you didn't know?" she practically screeched. "How can you not know?"

My face scorched in embarrassment. "I haven't had any morning sickness. With Charlie and Amelia I was sick as a dog for the first half of the pregnancy! I've been feeling over emotional and tired for the past few weeks, which never happened before either. Pregnancy never crossed my mind."

Stunned, I leaned into the back of the couch; my mind still spinning.

"So, I take it that Edward doesn't know either?"

My heart clenched at the thought of our rocky relationship at the moment and unbidden tears sprung into my eyes.

Alice rubbed my back in comfort. "Hey, hey, don't cry. It's going to be fine. Once he finds out that you've been moody because of the baby, he'll be thrilled."

"How can you be so sure?" I sniffled and ran my hands over my tear-stained cheeks.

Alice smirked. "Because when you called me I had just gotten off of the phone with my brother. He's beside himself worrying that he's done something wrong to make you pull away from him."

"What?" I asked in surprise. "Ugh, I feel the same way— like he's pulling away from me slowly but surely. We really need to sit down and talk this through."

"Are you going to tell him about the baby?"

"I don't know if there is a baby, Alice. It could just be menopause or something."

Alice leveled a disdainful look in my direction. "You're 27, Bella. Nowhere near the age for that, you goofball."

"Well, I could be a medical oddity, you know."

Alice bit her lip thoughtfully before replying. "Do you want me to run and buy a test?"

I thought for a moment, before nodding. "Please? I'll just worry myself to death if I don't know for sure."

An hour later and three positive pregnancy tests later, I was sobbing tears of joy. After Amelia was born, we hadn't really discussed having more children, but now that it was a reality, I was thrilled. I silently prayed that Alice was right and our problems recently were because of the pregnancy hormones and not because we had actually drifted apart.

Alice and I were sitting at the kitchen table, excitedly talking about the new baby, when Charlie's voice call out from the living room.

"Momma! Daddy's on the tellie!"

Allie and I exchanged looks of confusion before racing into the next room. The local news must have broken into public broadcasting channel, showing live footage of a flash flood rescue in the next town over. A rescue chopper hovered dangerously low above a car that was about to be swept away.

.

_For those of you just joining us, what we're seeing here is a live rescue attempt of a local couple, Emmett McCarty and his seven month pregnant wife, Rosalie. The rescue crew is working diligently and trying to get the couple to safety before their car is swept away by the flash flood. Pilot Edward Cullen is just barely maintaining control in these vicious winds. _

_.__  
><em>

My heart thundered in my chest as I watched the rescue unfold, Alice clutching my hand tightly. One of of the other rescuers who worked with Edward, Jacob Black, was lowered down in a harness and was able to help pull the couple to the safety of the chopper. Just as they were brought on board, a visible viscious gust of wind pulled the car loose and it careened down the makeshift river. The chopper was knocked to the left and one of it's blades cut into a large tree. After a scary moment where the helicopter spun haphazardly, it righted itself and flew off safely.

Both of us, glued to the television set, let out a visible sigh of relief. So many things could have gone wrong, but in the end things worked out just fine. I knew that he worked a dangerous job and the thought of something happening to him, especially after the way we had left things this morning, burned a hole in my chest.

I rested my elbows on my knees and buried my face in my hands, shaking my head back and forth. Alice squeezed my shoulder, bringing my eyes up to meet hers.

"He's safe, Bells. It'll be fine," she cooed softly, comfortingly.

I nodded and gazed over at my children, who were playing quietly and completely, blissfully unaware.

"Hey, how about I take them overnight? I'm sure you and Edward would get more accomplished if you could talk openly, without the risk of little ears hearing anything."

My heart swelled with love for my sister-in-law. Alice was truly the best friend that I'd ever had and we were closer than most sisters who were actually bonded together by blood.

"Are you sure you don't mind, Allie?"

She smiled brightly. "Nah, not at all. You know I like to spend time with the little boogers. Takes my mind off of my ticking biological clock."

I laughed lightly and shook my head. "You'll meet Prince Charming one day, Allie. I promise."

She sighed. "I know, sis, but I wish he'd hurry up."

I patted her hand gently and put my around around her shoulders. "I know, hun."

We watched the kids play for a few more minutes before I ran upstairs to pack them an overnight bag. By the time I made it back downstairs, they already had their jackets on and were bouncing excitedly, eager to spend the night with their Auntie Allie. I kissed each of them goodbye and gave some tight hugs. With a warning to behave and a wave as they drove from sight, I was left all alone for the first time in weeks. I glanced at the clock and noted that Edward wouldn't be home for a few more hours, so I decided to straighten up quickly before taking a long, hot bath.

I closed my eyes and let my head rest against the lips of the tub, reveling in the luxury of not only the quiet house, but the way the heat of the water eased my tired muscles. I ran my hands over my belly and felt a small bit of pudge at my abdomen. Caressing it gently, I was amazed that I hadn't noticed it before. If my calculations were right, I was about ten weeks pregnant. Ever since Amelia was born, my cycle had been irregular, so it was no wonder that being with child hadn't even crossed my mind. Now that I knew, even my breasts began to feel tender, causing me to wonder if it was psychological or if I really just hadn't noticed.

A throat cleared at the bathroom door and I jumped slightly. Edward stood there, his eyes holding a look that I hadn't seen in so long: lust. Seeing him standing there, safe and sound, brought a rush of tears to my eyes. I stood as quickly as I could, only to be wrapped in his arms before I even stepped foot out of the tub. His lips crushed mine passionately - desperately. His shirt was soaked as my wet chest pressed against him, winding my hands through his hair.

He lifted me into his arms as if I weighed nothing and carried me down to our bedroom, not once removing his lips from mine. My hands scratched his buttons, hastily pushing his shirt over his shoulders. We both needed this; this reconnection and overwhelming need to be a part of each other again.

By the time he was fully naked with his weight bearing down on me, I was breathless and panting. When he slid into me and my walls surrounded him like a glove, the familiar ache and stretch brought forth a gasp from my lips. He breathed my name as he tenderly stroked my face, looking down at me with so much love and adoration. I wrapped my legs around his waist, pulling him closer and causing a groan to fall from his mouth.

"Fuck, baby," he whispered as he pounded his hips into mine.

"Uhnnn, Edward!" I called as out as my release washed over me suddenly.

"Yeah, that's it. Come for me, Bella," he murmured against my jaw, continuing with his furious pace.

All too soon he crying out my name and emptying himself inside of me, breathing heavily with sweat dripping from his forehead. He shifted, pulling himself out of me before getting up and walking out of the room without a word. I stretched my legs, the delicious ache eliciting a sigh from my chest. Sitting up and pulling the sheet up to my chest, insecurity washed over me that he had left without saying anything and had not returned yet. My self-consciousness was about to two-step across the room when, thankfully, he returned, carrying a hand towel.

He had thrown a bath towel around his waist and looked completely edible. He handed the rag to me, refusing to meet my eyes. It caused my heart to skip in fear and I felt my emotions start to boil over. This time, I recognized what was happening and I bit my lip, accepting the offering and cleaned myself up. I pulled my legs up to my chest and wrapped my arms around them as he sat down on the bed by my feet.

He sighed and ran his hands across his face. "What are we doing, Bella?"

I swallowed, my stomach in knots with nervousness. "What do you mean?"

He looked up into my face, his eyes wary and sad. "I love you so much, baby, but I don't know where to go from here, how to make it better."

My heart ached and I'm smiled, placing my hand on his arm. "It's going to be fine, Edward," I murmured, causing a look of confusion to cross his face. "I'm sorry that things have been tense, I really am. But now that I know what was happening, it'll all be fine."

His expression changed to worry and he cupped my cheek gently. "What's happening?" he repeated my words back to me. "What's wrong, Bella? Are you sick? Please, God, don't be sick." He pulled me onto his lap and clutched me tightly.

"No, love, I'm not sick." I pulled back so that I could look directly in his eyes. "I'm pregnant."

He blinked in shock, before his eyes widened. "Wha- You're what?" he asked incredulously.

I nodded, blinking back tears. He broke out in a wide smiled and kissed me swift and hard. He cupped my face, allowing his own tears to fall freely.

"I'm going to be a daddy again? You're sure?"

"Yeah. Well, the three tests that I took today said positive."

"What- How long- I mean, how?" His words fell quickly over each other.

I bit my lip to hold back a laugh. "Well, we already have two children, so I'm sure you don't need me to explain the 'how' part."

He tickled my arms, causing me to squeal and jump, ending up flat on my back on the bed. His hand caressed my abdomen and he pressed his lips against my stomach. He looked back up at me, his eyes overwhelmed with emotion.

"So, what you're saying is that you've been an irrational bitch because of hormones?"

I leveled a playful glare. "Really? You want to go there? It's not like you made much of an effort yourself. Your idea of communication was plopping in front of the t.v. and ignoring me for the night."

He rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "You're right, I'm sorry. Not all of this can be blamed on the baby. I know I had a part in it as well."

I shook my head and smiled. "Yeah, we both made some bad calls, but we can learn from this. I'll still get checked out by the doctor. This is completely different than either of the other times that we've been pregnant, so I didn't put two and two together sooner."

He crawled up next to me and leaned on his elbow, gazing down at me lovingly. "What made you think about it now?"

"Alice," I laughed. "She came over to lend me her shoulder. After spilling my guts, she just came out and asked me when I was due. I felt like such and idiot."

He chuckled and touched my cheek with his fingertips. "Are we really okay?"

I grinned and leaned up to kiss him on the lips. "You love me and I love you, we have two- soon to be three- children. Yes, we have our ups and downs, but we'll come through this stronger than ever."

He smiled and flipped onto his back, pulling me on top of him. "Well, now that we're baring our souls, I want to tell you something. I was going to wait until our anniversary, but I think now is the perfect time. I know it's been tough with me working all of this overtime, but it's for a good reason."

I cocked my head to the side and waited patiently- well, almost patiently- for him to continue.

"I bought us a four bedroom house and the overtime has helped pay for the should finished in a few weeks."

His hands moved to my hips, his thumbs gently stroking my stomach and bringing tears to my eyes.

"Are you for real? You bought us a bigger house?"

He nodded and I threw my arms around his neck, my emotions getting the best of me. He pulled my face back and kissed me sweetly.

"I guess we'll need the extra room now." He grinned and flipped us back over, causing me to squeal and then gasp as his hard cock entered me in one swift, stroke.

"Yes, we definitely will," I murmured before losing my capacity to think coherently for the next hour.

**..**  
><strong>O_o_O_o_O_o_O_o_O_o_O_o_O_o_O_o_O_o_O<strong>

_Who's gonna call on Sunday morning?_

_Who's gonna drive you home?_

_I just want one more chance_

_To put my arms in fragile hands_

****O_o_O_o_O_o_O_o_O_o_O_o_O_o_O****

**AN**: A special thank you to SueBee0619, who Beta'd this for us on such short notice and to Mel/vbfb1 who made our awesome banner! Our hearts and sympathies go out to everyone affected by the floods and we hope for a speedy recovery for them!

Title song and lyrical usage: _Paperthin Hymn_ by Anberlin


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